Lighting fixture



Dep. 14, 1943.

MaCINNlS M. DUNBAR LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Feb. 17, 1941 INVENTOR.'

Patented Dec. 14, ..1943 1 OFFICE LIGHTING FIXTURE Highland Park, Ill., as- Products, Inc., Highland Maclnnisv M. Dunbar,

signor to Lighting Park, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 17, 1941, Serial No. 379,306

2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a lighting fixture and is more particularly described as a support and mounting for fluorescent and similar tubular lamps. e

An important'object of the invention is in the vprovision of a support and mounting for tubular lamps in which an upper casing part is rst supported in place and then a lower part ls hung along one edge thereof, the necessary connections are made, and the lower part is swung upwardly to closed position.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a cap to extend over the end .of a uorescent lamp socket to cover and protect it.

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of a removable translucent cap of plastic material which extends over the end of a iiuorescent lamp a short distance to receiveA light therefrom and to transmit sufficient light to illuminate the dark end of the socket and to decorate the end of the lamp whether it is lighted or not.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and will be apparent from the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section, illustrating a fixture in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Installation, wiring and repair of iluorescent tubing lighting xtures is sometimes diiicult due to the length of the mountings for the tubular lamps which makes them somewhat cumbersome, and also due to the weight oi' transformers, condensers and other fittings now commonly located in the fixture itself to apply individually thereto. To overcome these objections, the present xtures are made in two parts, one of which is suspended or attached to any suitable support and has a lip or fiange adapted to be section taken on the line 2-2 value. Furthermore, due to the character of the- Cil ' when it is in cap of translucent plastic material applied over the lamp socket and slightly overlapping the end of the tubular lamp itself. This cap is decorative in appearance and may be colored to give it an additional decorative value; it covers the unattractive socket projection and it receives light from the tubularlamp operation suilicient to transmit some illumination or a glow throughout the cap or portion thereof. This not only adds a decorative value when the lamp is in operation, but also when it is not lighted and it covers the projecting socket which is otherwise objectionable.

4Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a typical fuorescent tubing iixture for two lamps is shown comprising an upper casing support or lid 6 and a lower casing lamp support 1. At one side of the upper casing support is an uptumed ange 8 forming an `inner longitudinal seat or groove 9 and at the other side of this support is a'downwardly turned iiange I0 with an inwardly bent edge I I. The lower support is correspondingly formed at one upper edge with an inwardly turned flange I2 having an inwardly turned edge I3 adapted to be hooked over the with the groove 9, and along the opposite upper edge is an inwardly folded edge I4 adapted to engage outside of the flange I0 when the lower casing is swung upwardly into proper place. Y In order to fasten the casings together, nuts I5 are secured to the inside of the flange I0 at intervals and fastening screws I6 are inserted through corresponding openings in the edges ofthe upper and lower casing members to engage in the nuts. 'I'he upper casing support 6 may be fastened directly to an electricv outlet box, to the ceiling, or may be suspended by one or more fixture stems in the shape of a conduit pipe I1 having a threaded portion at its lower end for lock nuts I8 and I8 to engage above and below the casing member 6 and also, in heavier installations, to engage the stiffening plate 20 therebetween, the plate having bent stiilening flanges 2| at the edges thereof.

casing member l is a trans'- former 23 and a condenser 24 for regulating and controlling the voltage and current which is applied to the lamp units. These members and parts are of considerable weight lso that in installing the fixture. the upper casing support'is 'less resiliently usually mounted or attached in the desired location, and then when it is desired to complete the fixture, the lower casing member l with the ballast orweighted parts therein are applied to the fixed support by hooking the flange edge i3 into the grooves 9 and allowing the lower casing member 1 to swing freely therefrom. The flange! and the grooves 9 are disposed below the upper edge of the support 6 so that it could be fastened tightly against a support in the plane of its upper edge and still allow space for inserting the anged edge I2 ofl the lower casing member to engage the depending edge I3 with the groove 9.

In the hinged or swinging condition, circuit connections for the various conductors 25 are made within the casing, and to the supporting tubular lamp base and socket members 2B which project from the inside through openings 21 at each end of each tube. Seated in each of the socket members 26 and extending through a suitable opening 28 in the casing is a flasher starting plug 29 which may be inserted or removed when a tubular lamp 30 is not held in place in the socket, the plug being substantially concealed by the lamp when it is in place. These plugs are easily removable for replacement by simply removing the lamp. The supporting sockets 26 extend outwardly from the casing member; they are unattractive, and because they are at the ends of the lamps where they receive no light rays, they are usually in a dark or shadow zone which is undesirable from a decorative standpoint. A cap 3| is therefore provided, preferably made of a translucent plastic material, in different shades and colors, the sides of the cap being fiuted or otherwise decorated, and the cap being curved or rounded at the outer end 32 to fit as a hood overand to slightly overlap the end of the tube 30 so that the light therefrom will engage the adjacent edges of the plastic material and be transmitted to some extent throughout the entire cap.

In order to hold this cap in` place, the inside is formed .with a shoulder or groove 33 adapted to slidably receive the projection of the socket 26 adjacent the bottom of the cap, and' extending transversely of the groove 33 is a holding spring 34 having a rivet 35 extending through the cap for attaching it in place and having a recess 36 in the bottom and side portions of the groove 33 in which the spring is seated. At each of the outer' extremities is an inwardly bent hook 31 located at a point to engage over the outstanding projection of the socket member 26, and the outer portions of the spring being bendable to more or engage the edges of this projection so that the cap may be slipped thereover and resiliently held in place thereon by the spring.

An outer shouldered portion 38 is also formed on the cap of a size to embrace-and to extend slightly over the end of the illuminating portion of a lighting tube 30 which is applied to the socket engaged by the tube. The inner edge 39 of this overlapping portion may be cut or rounded away so that the edge of the lighting tube will fit more closely therein. By making the cap of translucent plastic material, light is picked up by the plastic, transmitted and diffused to some extent throughout the entire cap, depending somewhat upon the amount of the overlap, the material of the plastic, and the color of the light from the tube and of the plastic itself.

This cap not only covers the unattractive socket support. but also provides a decorative finish for the end of the tube which transmits enough light to illuminate this otherwise dark end, and also adds a decorative finish for the end of the lighting tube whether it is illuminated or not.

It is apparent that this invention may be applied to tubular lamp lighting nxtures or various kinds embodying one or more lighting tubes and having decorative caps widely differing in form and color as well as in size, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an elongated lighting fixture for horizontal tubular lamps, an upper supporting member comprising a horizontal .plate having one edge depressed with an upstanding flange along the outside forming a horizontalgroove open at the top along one side below the upper surface of the member, a lower casing member having a downwardly extending flange along one edge from an upper horizontal wall which then extends downwardly below the support forming a hook to engage and extending outwardly from said groove for freely connecting and loosely hinging the two casing members together, the lower casing member overlying and covering the hinge at that side of the plate, tubular lamps located at the outside of the lower casing member but secured to the inside thereof, the lower casing and lamps constituting a considerable weight for holding the lower member suspended in angular and below the flange to cover open position when supported only by the hinge, the interior of the casing and xture conductors therefor being'exposed for repair and replacement when the casing members are thus loosely hinged, the opposite i'ree edges of the lower casing extending outside of and covering the corresponding opposite edge of the supporting member when in closed position, and means at the free edges of the casing for attaching the casing parts together and for holding the flange in th'e groove in closed position.

2. In' a tubular lamp lighting fixture, an upper casing supporting member, having a tubular support with conductor wires extending therethrough the member, comprising a flat horizontal zontal hinging groove open along the upper edge of the casing member, a lower casing member having a depending flange along one edge freely engaging in the groove, the wall of the casing extending outwardly and then downwardly from the freely hinging `ioint thus formed, xture parts secured to the lower casing member including sockets at the ends projecting from the outside through Ythe casingythe said lower casing and fixture parts being relatively heavy and adapted to swing the lower fixture part to an angularly open depending position when supported by the hinging ange only, the fixture parts within the casing and the conductor wires therefor being exposed for access thereto when the casing parts are loosely hinged, means for connecting the free edges of the casing parts together with the lower casing overlapping the supporting member when they are closed, and tubular lamps inserted in the projecting portions of the sockets at the outside of the casing.

MAcINNIS M. DUNBAR. 

